Recensioni recenti di NeVeR

Dead Island Retro Revenge was developed by Empty Clip Studios and released in 2016. It is a 16-bit side-scrolling, beat-em-up, arcade game. Originally it was developed as part of the Dead Island Definitive Collection, but it is worth getting as a standalone game?

Rating (out of 10):
- Graphics (inc. VFX): 7.5
- Music (inc SFX): 5
- Story: 5.5
- Content: 4
- Controls: 7.5
- Gameplay: 4

I liked the graphics and VFX in the game, and honestly, I'd say it's the best part of the game in my opinion.

The music suits the game well, but it's not a soundtrack that you could listen to outside of the game. It's simple arcade-themed music that does its job, nothing more, nothing less.

As this is an arcade-style game the story isn't the focus, and most of these types of games don't have one at all. That being said Retro Revenge does have a little backstory, which progressed as we pass the 3 main stages of the game. It's a funny little story about our main character trying to rescue his cat, and I want to note that the art in the cutscenes is cool.

The controls in the game are as simple as can be. Up and down movement, with four directions of attack and two abilities. Altogether you play the game using just eight keys on your keyboard.

I didn't enjoy the gameplay much. All we do is try to get to the end of the stage alive, using different combinations of attacks to defeat different types of foes running at us.

The game has three modes Story, Marathon and Survivor. The story mode takes me about 4 hours to finish, but it can be completed in half that time if you're good at these games (I'm not). Most of the content in the game is about perfecting the stages and earning the most amount of points possible to climb the leaderboard.

Finally, if you enjoy the idea of perfecting your runs and finding ways to maximise your number of points to climb the leaderboard and brag about being top whatever% at different levels of the game, this is a perfect game for you. However, if you don't care about any of that, this game has nothing to offer You.

I rate it 5.0/10.0

Developed by Undead Labs and published by Microsoft Studios, State of Decay: Year-One was released in 2015 and it is a remastered version of the original State of Decay (2013); the first game in a series under the same name. The remaster came with improved graphics, new weapons, vehicles, characters and a brand new supply drop mission, but most importantly it comes with its two DLCs, those being Breakpoint and Lifeline.

Rating (out of 10):
- Graphics (inc. VFX): 6.5
- Music (inc. SFX): 8
- Story: 7
- Content: 8
- Controls: 5
- Gameplay: 7

Graphically the game isn't amazing, but every once in a while it can surprise with great visuals. Some areas in the game are very nice to look at, the lake at the start of the game for example is very pretty, especially during the evenings. Outside these few nice areas, however, the game isn't very spectacular to look at. I should also note that my monitor has a base resolution of 1440p; the game only goes up to 1080p, so my experience with the graphics was hindered somewhat.

The music composed by the great Jesper Kyd and Dreissk is simply great. It helps massively with setting the atmosphere and vibe of the world we're trying to survive in. The tracks also have a lot of variety, while staying true to the original theme.

Story-wise You won't be disappointed, but you also won't be taken off your feet either. The story is good, it has interesting characters and plots that add good tension to the game. In the original game, the action takes place in Turnbull Valley, and we start with Marcus Campbell as he comes back from his annual fishing trip with his friend to find his hometown overrun by walking corpses. However, the story doesn't have a main character, as we get to control multiple characters within our community as we gain their trust. This makes the game more of a story of a group of survivors rather than a single character.

Including the two DLCs, the game has quite a lot of content. After completing the main story, You can jump into Breakdown, which is a never-ending survival mode with five difficulty settings that can be unlocked after completing a few basic objectives. There are also plenty of challenges which unlock various heroes from the main game, as well as the Lifeline DLC to add to our lineup. The Lifeline DLC is the one that I enjoyed quite a lot. It takes place on a brand new map; the city of Danforth and has an interesting setting. We take control of a group of soldiers as they try to extract VIPs from the city and evacuate them. It also comes with some interesting decisions that we can make to impact the story.

If you like looting and hoarding items You'll love this game. Overall, the gameplay is simple with the combat comprising of simply mashing your left mouse button, with occasional roll to dodge and attack or use of an item to heal yourself or restore stamina. Movement around the map is also very simple, with various cars available around the map for those not interested in maxing out their Cardio skill. The gameplay can become quite repetitive after a while, which is why before starting the DLCs after the main game I had to take a break.

The controls are where this game failed the most for me. They are self-explanatory but can be infuriating at times. Jumping through windows and over walls can sometimes take a few tries to get the angle just right, and if you're already low on stamina with a hoard of zombies chasing You, something stupid like that can make anyone alt F4 on the spot. The characters also tend to get stuck to a single target, so as you try to swing your axe at the three zombies right in front of you, your character will still be smashing a zombie which you knocked down and is now lying under your feet making you take stupid damage, or even dying.

Overall, I liked the game. It has a lot to offer, especially with the DLCs. It is a perfect game for completionists and players who like to hoard items and resources in a survival-style game. There are plenty of challenges and the game has some replay value, especially in the Lifeline DLC.

I rate it 7.0/10.0

Evil Maze is an indie, 2D, anime, ARPG with optional nudity developed and published by ZOV GAME STUDIO in 2016. As of writing this review, the game has Mostly Positive reviews on Steam, but is it worth your time and 2 dollars?

Rating (out of 10):
- Graphics (inc. VFX) : 4
- Music (inc SFX) : 5.5
- Story : 3
- Content : 3.5
- Controls : 5
- Gameplay : 3.5

The pixel graphics in the game are good enough; but that’s all they really are, not bad, but nothing great either. The assets and textures all follow the same style, which is nice.

I found the music is be quite good. It wasn’t too repetitive, and it suit the style and atmosphere of the game well.

There isn’t really any story in the game, the basic idea is that you have to escape this evil maze and fight monsters along the way, but that’s it.

As you navigate different levels (which all have their own themes; usually biome based), you will encounter different mobs, find new equipment and books, which unlock new spells and improve your stats. There aren’t that many items and spells available in the game but considering how short it is I don’t think it’s much of an issue. Most of the levels also have a small boss for you to defeat, with the main boss located in the last room.

This game falls under the ARPG banner, but don’t expect exciting action if you play it. The combat gets really boring, really fast with the exception of the final boss. All of the mini bosses are static mobs, so fighting them involves moving next to them and spamming your attack and spells of choice until they die.

Closer to the end of the game, you get to the point where no mobs or mini bosses can defeat you, so you just walk around spamming attack and killing everything without any care in the world. The final boss fight is actually the only fun part of this game, as the boss isn’t static and has an actual move set which you need to learn.

Overall, I found the game to be really boring with the exception of the previously mentioned final boss fight. But is the boring build-up worth that one enjoyable fight at the end? In my opinion, if the game was free it would be, but it’s not.

I rate it 4.0/10

Counter-Strike (also referred to as Counter-Strike 1.6) is a multiplayer, first-person shooter, and the first title of a game series with same name. It was initially developed as a modification for Half-Life, which was developed and officially released in year 2000 by Valve Corporation.

Rating (out of 10):
- Graphics (inc. VFX) : 3.5
- Music (inc. SFX) : 5
- Content : 9
- Controls : 8
- Gameplay : 7.5

Let me start off by saying that I grew up with Counter-Strike, and it was one of the only games I played as a child. So, in reality I have probably way over 1000 hours in the game all together (including hours played on my old account), so don’t let these 10 hours fool you!

It’s an old game and its graphics have not aged too well. So, if you’re looking for a shooter with good visuals Counter-Strike 1.6 is definitely not the right game for you.

There isn’t much music in the game, but the main theme is really good and very nostalgic. Sound effects, like reloading or pulling out of weapons are very satisfying, which is a very nice feature for any shooter.

Originally, the game only really has 2 game modes, which are decided by the map you’re playing on. These modes are the classic Search and Destroy and Hostage Rescue. I will not get into the details of what the teams have to do in either of these game modes as it is very simple and self-explanatory. The reason why I gave a 9 in the “Content” category is because there is an abundance of community servers with different game modes like DM, Zombies, Surfing etc. The fact that players can modify the game and create their own game modes, weapons, models gives Counter-Strike a lot of content.

Overall, I enjoy the game. It is a good competitive shooter with easy, nice feeling controls. However, after playing the new CS:GO and other titles like Battlefield I found the shooting in Counter-Strike 1.6 to be really difficult and hard to get used to. When I last played the community seemed to still be quite active, so you will be able to find servers with a bunch of players to play against. There are many better shooters available on the market, and I would not pick Counter-Strike 1.6 over its newer, and better brother Counter-Strike:Global Offensive.

If you played Counter-Strike 1.6 as a child, I would definitely recommend you pick it up during a sale to have that nostalgic experience and relive some of these memories. But, if you never played this original Counter-Strike, and you’re not interested in seeing the beginnings of the best series of competitive shooters then there is no point for you to play this game.

I rate it 6.5/10

Goblin and Coins is the first title released on Steam in 2016 by an Indie developer Nikola Bulj. It is a charming 2D platformer which not many people know about.

Rating (out of 10):
- Graphics (inc. VFX) : 7.5
- Music (inc. SFX) : 4.5
- Story : 5
- Content : 6
- Controls : 7
- Gameplay : 8.5

The game has simple; yet very charming, pixelated graphics with generally colder pallet. There are 5 different settings/chapters in the game, each with its own theme, different enemies and bosses at the end.
The story in the game isn’t very fleshed out, but it does its job relatively well. You are a goblin cook responsible for gold being stolen from your master, so you set off to gather it and capture the thief. The story is only shown/progressed in between the chapters and is presented through a set of images almost like in a comic.
The music (created by Kevin MacLeod) is very simple but suits the game. The only problem is that the soundtrack is very short, so the music quickly becomes very repetitive.
Personally, I am not good at difficult platformers (or difficult games in general), which is why I played the game on the Casual difficulty. But the game does offer a harder “old school” difficulty setting if you are looking for a challenge.

Overall, I found the game to be quite enjoyable. I like the difficulty; the controls feel smooth and the visual style is nice to look at. It is not a game I would get into and spend hours playing, but it is a perfect game to have running in the background and play when you’re in a League of Legends queue or if you are taking a short break from studying.
If you’re looking for a short game, which doesn’t require much attention I would most certainly recommend Goblin and Coins to you.

I rate it 6.0/10

Gothic is the beginning of incredible story, and one of the best action role-playing series of games ever created. It was released in 2001 (2002 in Poland) for Windows PCs by the German company Piranha Bytes, with music composed by Kai Rosenkranz (KaiRo).

I personally adore this game, and consider it one of the best RPGs ever, and hopefully with this review I can convince you to give this game a try.

Rating (out of 10):
- Graphics (inc. VFX) : 6
- Music (inc. SFX) : 10
- Cinematics : 7
- Story : 9
- Content : 9
- Controls : 7
- Gameplay : 9

The world is quite simplistic, and rather small compared to new RPGs we see these days. However, the world suits perfectly with the story and the whole concept behind Gothic. Each location has a different feel and basic outlook, but at the core all of them share the same atmosphere of "mining colony". The world is dim and rough, there aren't any beautiful fields with flowers and rainbows, which makes the world much more immersive and definitely adds to the atmosphere.

Game's soundtrack is just incredible, composed by Kai Rosenkranz who also composed music for other Gothic games (except Gothic 4: Arcania), Risen and The Long Journey Home. Despite of how old the game is, it's more immersive than most Action RPGs I've played. The music combined with interesting world and well written plot just draws you in and doesn't let out until you finish the game. The music is a huge factor in every game, it helps to portray the feelings designers intended for the game and enforce immersion of the world and gameplay, and Gothic's soundtrack has definitely achieved that.

At the beginning the story isn't very flashed out, and your main objective is to just get by in the colony. This is very interesting as it makes the player feel vulnerable, we need to find shelter, and equipment that will save our life when we decide to explore the world. The story is well paced out and unique, there are still classic concepts visible in the story such as the main character being "the chosen one", but no one in the world actually cares about him. The main support characters are also interesting, each of them has a unique personality, and set of values and skills, so you will surely be able to relate to one of them. Very briefly (and without spoilers) the plot is: You are a criminal who for his crimes gets thrown to a mining valley which is surrounded by a magical barrier to prevent criminals from escaping. The problem is that during the creation of the barrier something went wrong and now no one from the inside can get out. You as the main character must find a way out, which you accomplish by joining one of 3 factions in the game.

Gothic 1 has a very specific controls system which takes a good few hours to get used to. This could be frustrating at first but give it time and you will be slaying monsters left and right. The game offers a number of different playstyles, starting from 3 main focuses being melee, ranged, and magic, which then branch off to specific types of weapons and fighting styles, alongside other useful skills from hunting and thievery for example. However, you are not limited to choose one path, which allows you to combine skills and build your character in many different ways.

Other comments and points to consider before you buy:

First of all, the game is old, so if you don't like games with poor and simplistic graphics, and a few bugs here and there, then this game is not for you.
The learning and skill curve within the game is also something to consider. At the start you will DEFINITELY have trouble getting used to game's mechanics and will not be able to fight orcs and other epic foes until later in the game. So, if you expect to be some incredible undefeated hero you will have to work hard for it.

Something very interesting about this game (and other Gothic titles, with exception to Gothic 4) is the fact that you never get to know the name of the protagonist. In fact, in the first few minutes of Gothic 1 when the main character wants to say his name he gets cut off and told "I don't care who you are.".

My personal hint is save, and save as often as possible. When you start the game even wolves are deadly opponents that can shred you to pieces. Take your time, get familiar with the controls, don't wonder into dangerous looking areas without preparation in form of a save; as you will be punished; and appreciate the soundtrack and the world this game has to offer.

I rate it 8.5/10